Moonfire's Light
by MauMoon
Summary: When Moon was adopted into ThunderClan, she thought she had a new life ahead of her. New friends, new family, and more cats she'd ever known in her short few moons. However, that wasn't a reality as war cripples all four Clans, and a nasty enemy threatens the end of all honorable cats. With pain on every corner, it's hard for Moon to grip that despite the darkness, there is light.
1. Allegiance

Allegiances (Cats of the Clans)

 **ThunderClan**

Leader: Nightstar- Black she-cat with green eyes and long legs

Deputy: Snowclaw- Big white tom with blue eyes and a torn ear

Medicine cat: Sagetail- Pale grey tabby tom with yellow eyes and a long tail

Apprentice, Fernpaw

 **Warriors**

Sparkfire- Dark ginger tom with yellow eyes and thick fur

Apprentice, Foxpaw

Wildfur- Small, scruffy dark grey tom with blue eyes and a light underbelly

Apprentice, Sunpaw

Brightcloud- Pale furred cream tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Applepaw

Owlwing- Dark grey tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Amberflare- Bright orange tabby she-cat with a white belly and blue eyes

Apprentice, Duskpaw

Hollybreeze- Black she-cat with grey patches and amber eyes

Spottedfrost- Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Oakblaze- Black and brown tom with amber eyes

 **Apprentices**

Fernpaw- Pale brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Foxpaw- Red tom with startling yellow eyes

Applepaw- Fluffy cream furred she-cat with green eyes

Duskpaw- Big grey tom with amber eyes

Sunpaw- Small cream furred tom with orange tabby markings and blue eyes

 **Queens**

Greytuft- Long haired grey she-cat with green eyes and tufty ears

Mother to Birchkit and Whitekit, foster mother to Wolfkit

Patchpetal- Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Mother to Rosekit and Cherrykit

Palelight- Pale cream and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Carrying Sparkfire's kits

 **Elders**

Batwhisker- Shaggy blueish grey tom with blind blue eyes

Leafpelt- Brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

 **RiverClan**

Leader: Rainstar- Light grey speckled she-cat with green eyes

Deputy: Blizzardstorm- Big white tom with dark pink eyes

Medicine cat: Blackleaf- Black she-cat with clear green eyes

 **Warriors**

Goldenfish- Golden she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentice, Troutpaw

Leopardspot- Orange tom with blotchy spots and dark green eyes

Tigerflame- Brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Swiftwave- Black and white tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Darkpaw

Waterbird- Pretty silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Ottertail- Russet she-cat with yellow eyes

Stormthunder- Big grey tom with amber eyes

Dogjaw- Thick furred brown and white tom with blue eyes

 **Apprentices**

Troutpaw- Grey and white tom with blue eyes

Darkpaw- Black tom with amber eyes

 **WindClan**

Leader: Sandstar- Light ginger tom with green eyes

Deputy: Weaselclaw- Ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine cat: Deadgrass- Brown and white she-cat with green eyes and a useless back leg

Apprentice, Shortpaw

 **Warriors**

Flamecloud- Flame colored tom with amber eyes

Hawktalon- Small battle scarred brown she-cat with green eyes

Dustfall- Honey brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Birdpaw

Grasstail- Grey she-cat with amber eyes

Robinheart- Grey furred tom with blue eyes

Hopflight- Black she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Heatherpaw

Brackenpelt- Reddish brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Mousefang- Small dusk grey tom with amber eyes

Thrushwing- Dark brown tabby tom with green eyes and dark flecks

 **Apprentices**

Birdpaw- Reddish brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Heatherpaw- Red tabby with darker stripes and green eyes

Shortpaw- Grey tom with light blue eyes and darker flecks

 **Elders**

Eaglewing- Plump white tom with blue eyes

Ashnose- Grey she-cat with amber eyes

Harefoot- Cream tom with yellow eyes

 **ShadowClan**

Leader: Redstar- Dark red tabby tom with green eyes

Deputy: Howl- Silver and white tom with blue eyes

Apprentice, Yellowpaw

Medicine cat: Mosspaw- Soft furred grey tom with blue eyes

 **Warriors**

Icefur- Pure white she-cat with green eyes

Waspsting- Dark grey tabby tom with yellow eyes

Tawnytail- Orange and white tom with patchy black fur and green eyes

Littlemoth- Small tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Nightpaw

Foxfire- Red tabby tom with honey eyes

Cedarfur- Brown tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Houndpaw

Ratclaw- Black she-cat with yellow teeth and amber eyes

Rowanberry- Red tabby with yellow eyes

Apprentice, Pinepaw

 **Apprentices**

Yellowpaw- Red and white tabby she-cat with green eyes

Houndpaw- Silver and grey tabby tom with pale blue eyes

Nightpaw- Black tom with amber eyes

Pinepaw- Short furred dark grey she-cat with blue eyes

 **Elders**

Hoot- Dark grey she-cat with yellow eyes


	2. Prologue

_A harsh shriek of pain filled_ the crisp night air, the hot stench of blood following only but a heartbeat later. Strong jaws clamped down on Wolfsong's back leg, and blood squirted from her flesh as bones were crushed and skin was ripped. The fluffy brown she-cat howled with agony, her yellow eyes stretched wide to their whites, and her fur spiked along her spine and tail. Moonfire leapt upon the fox viciously, digging her claws into the side of its neck and burying her teeth into the creature's scruffy red shoulder fur, her teeth breaking through and making contact with skin.

The fox bucked and howled angrily, turning its head to snap at Moonfire, dropping Wolfsong onto her side in the process. The she-cat let out another shriek of pain as her leg twisted grossly and became crushed underneath her own body. Moonfire watched her friend's eyes roll up into her skull, the she-cat's pale furred chest rising and falling in shallow pained breaths, then slow to an ominous stop, her eyes fluttering closed. Moonfire gasped with horror. Was Wolfsong _dead_? Startled, Moonfire yowled as she was thrown off of the fox's back. She twisted in the air, landing on her paws.

The fox rounded on her, lunging forward and snapping its jaws in Moonfire's face. She hissed in pain as her whiskers were plucked from her muzzle, blood dripping from the new wound. Moonfire bounced back on her hind legs, avoiding another blow from the blood furred animal in front of her. Moonfire looked between the fox's legs, catching a glimpse of Wolfsong stir among the bloodstained grass. She was alive!

Thinking quickly, Moonfire lashed out at the fox's muzzle, her claws slicing through its soft black nose. If she could make the fox angry, she could distract it long enough to lead it away from Wolfsong. She felt pride swell in her chest as the fox cried out in pain, feverishly sneezing and rubbing its nose with a black paw. Scarlet droplets of blood fell onto the dark grass as the fox glared at Moonfire with hatred in its burning golden eyes, then leapt forward snarling.

Moonfire dodged as the fox's claws made contact with the bare grass where she once stood, and she turned tail and ran. She took off through the woods, weaving through bushes and trees blindly, fear urging her on. Hot breath blew the fur on her legs as she fled, and Moonfire could tell without looking back that her plan had worked, and the fox pursed its target, barking and growling with rage.

She didn't know where to run, her paws just flew across the ground, her legs pumping harder and harder, propelling her farther and faster with another snap of the fox's jaws motivating her to move quicker. She hadn't thought of climbing a tree for safety, and Moonfire quickly regretted it as the cool grass beneath her paws disappeared, and hard grey rock scratched her paw pads.

There were no trees on the wide Thunderpath, no bushes to duck in or soil to dig her claws into to push off the ground. Just hard flat ground stretching as far as the horizon on both of Moonfire's sides. Moonfire hadn't noticed that she'd slowed her pace until teeth fastened themselves around her back leg and yanked her onto the ground. Moonfire screeched in pain as an agony worse than fire ripped through her leg. She grew sick as her bones snapped, the bone in her leg jutting out like a broken twig.

Moonfire rolled aside as the fox's bloodstained muzzle dove for her throat. She lifted her broken leg, limping around feebly as pain throbbed throughout the appendage. She arched her back and hissed, trying to look as threatening as possible as she backed away from the fox. Her lips drawn back in a snarl, Moonfire let out a low growl in warning as the fox advanced on her, lashing out with a paw again as it came too close.

Moonfire lost her balance and fell onto her side, her leg smashing against the rock beneath her. Pain seized her body, and she parted her jaws in a soundless screech. The fox was on her in an instant, aiming blows and bites to her throat in an attempt to finish her off. Moonfire tried to block each blow, but claws sliced through her fur and blood splashed from the wound. _StarClan, help me!_ Moonfire prayed, hoping for a miracle to spare her life.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble underneath Moonfire's body. Moonfire and the fox looked up, ears pricked and swiveled to catch the sound of loud growling and huge paws grinding on the Thunderpath. Moonfire's belly clenched with terror as she saw a huge silver monster hurtling towards her and the fox.

She tried to stand and hobble to safety, by her leg ached too terribly, and she sank back onto the Thunderpath pathetically. She hadn't even managed to move a whisker from where she sat. The fox flattened its ears and fluffed out its tail in distress, turning to flee from the Thunderpath.

Before it could leave however, Moonfire lunged forward the best she could and grabbed the fox's tail in her jaws, white fur fluffing up around her nose. She bit down hard, earning a yip of pain from the fox. Moonfire hoped that the fox would either drag her to safety while panicking to save itself, or her dead weight would slow it down long enough to take it with her when the monster eventually made it over.

Unfortunately, instead of either happening, the fox whirled around and lashed out with a paw. Moonfire shrieked with rage and pain as claws dug into one of her eyes, her vision going red, then fading to black. Hot blood poured down her face. Out of her good eye, Moonfire watched the fox scamper off to safety, tail between its legs.

Resigned to her fate, Moonfire let reality sink in for her. _I'm going to die like this? I-I never would have thought._ She lay her head on her paws, closing her eye. She could hear the monster's growling ringing in her ears. Her throat tightened. _I didn't even get to say goodbye_ …. The monster was upon her now, and Moonfire tensed, squeezing her eye shut and flattening her ears in an attempt to block out the noise rattling her bones. She heard one final terrifying roar,

then braced for impact.


	3. Ch 1

_She couldn't see. She couldn't hear,_

she couldn't even make a noise. Things were weird, strange sensation in her mouth and nose, _scent_ , was the only thing she could hold onto. She tried to move, and did so, but she had no idea where she was going. Something smelled good, so she headed in that direction. Her nose met with something warm and soft, fur tickling her nose. _It smells the best here._ She felt joy at finding what was so appealing, but now had no idea what else to do. So she slept.

She had to eat, that's what it was. She was hungry, she could tell because her belly hurt, and whatever smelled good made her belly churn eagerly. She still couldn't see or hear anything, but she could open her mouth now, and she pushed air out of her throat. Was that what speaking was? She wondered what her voice sounded like.

Food was good. It was sweet, warm and it left her satisfied. At least, it _did_ when she could actually eat. Bigger furry things pushed her away whenever she got too into her meal. She had become acquainted with hunger a few times now, and she didn't like it. She didn't like the big things making her hungry either. _Littermates_. That must be it. That could be why she was always pushed away. There was someone else with her.

Days had passed she thought. She could hear now, and she wished that she couldn't. Everything was loud. High pitched noises rang in her ears. The voices of her littermates mewled hungrily around her as she tried to eat. There seemed to be so many voices crying out. But she wasn't concerned or discouraged. This time for sure she would be full before sleeping again.

She became aware of something prickly rasping through her small ears and over her backside, then something sharp gently lifted her from her food and placing her away. She protested angrily, rolling onto her side and scrunching up her nose. A new voice, light and soothing unlike her littermates spoke to her.

"Hush now, my little Moon. It is time to rest." The voice soothed. Was this her mother? She lifted her head and tried to open her eyes to catch the face of the owner of the voice, but slumped down in exhaustion, defeated. A purr rumbled in her ear. A nose poked her cheek. "Such a curious one, aren't you my little Moon?" She yawned. What was this word "Moon?" Was it her name? Whoever was speaking kept addressing her by that, so she guessed it was. Moon allowed herself to sleep again. _I like this name. I shall keep it_.

A few more days had passed now, she could tell because her mother had spoken of day and night. She was supposed to sleep at night and eat during the day. Sometimes her mother would not be there when she wanted to eat. Perhaps she had to eat herself. Moon tried to open her eyes again, and could only crack them open enough to see bleary figures in front of her nose. She willed herself to try harder when she had more strength, for now, she slept again.

Moon opened her eyes fully. She gasped at the sight that beheld her. Was this the world? It was large, big enough for a few cats to stay in. It was a mix between earth and rock, and light green stuff was everywhere. She reached out to touch it, finding her paw to be small and white. The green stuff was very soft. She liked squishing it between her toes.

"It's called moss." Moon jumped. She looked around, recognizing the voice she heard when her eyes were shut. She was stunned to see the most beautiful she-cat she'd ever seen. Well, the first she-cat she'd ever seen, but despite that, Moon didn't doubt that this one was extraordinarily beautiful.

She had a sleek, slender build, glossy grey and white fur, long legs and large, clear green eyes that trapped Moon's gaze. "Hello Moon." She purred coming closer, her tongue flicking out from her jaws as she groomed Moon's ears. "Who are you?" Moon asked, tilting her head up to stare into the she-cat's eyes once more. She felt she would swim in her eyes forever if she could.

"My name is Rayah. I am your mother." Rayah said, her kind eyes soft. "Mother?" Moon repeated, eyes wide. Rayah nodded, purring softly. _I like the way that sounds._ Moon thought trying to purr as well. She leaned on Rayah's soft grey fur as the she-cat curled around her. That was when she noticed three other kits with her. They were bigger than she was, and Moon pinned them as her littermates. They all slept soundly, legs sprawled out and mouths half open. _I wonder if they're nice like Mother._ Moon fell asleep again, nuzzling into the larger she-cat's fur until she was nearly completely covered.

Moon pulled herself up on four shaky legs. As it had turned out, she was the first to open her eyes. She wanted to be the first of her litter to actually move without crawling around on her belly, but her brother beat her to it. She settled for third, as her sister quickly took the chance to be the second while Moon was sleeping.

Her three littermates, Sky, Stone and Leaf were kind as she'd hoped. They didn't pick on her too badly, despite being much larger than she was, and actually wanted to play with her. After they'd learned to control themselves, and realized that there was plenty of room to suckle milk from Rayah's belly, Moon found herself able to enjoy more meals than she did before.

She began to learn to use her paws and legs, often play fighting with her siblings whether they were in the mood for it or not. She always liked surprising Leaf and pummeling her soft belly with her paws. She did not like however, was when all three of her siblings wanted to play hunter, and she was the mouse.

Sky was usually the first to try to break up rough play fights before Rayah got involved. Moon wasn't sure if the grey and white kitten only did so because he was aware of being the biggest and the oldest so he saw himself the leader of the kits, or if he actually cared if some cat got hurt. She believed it was a bit of both.

Stone was a trouble maker. He liked to nip Rayah's tail when she was trying to sleep to get her to play with him. For whatever reason Moon couldn't figure out, he seemed to like annoying cats out of their minds. Once he tried to drag Moon by her tail, but she batted his nose and sent him cowering underneath Rayah's belly with his tail between his legs. She'd been scolded for lashing out, but her mother still had humor in her eyes, so it wasn't all bad.

Moon couldn't quite get Leaf's personality. One moment she would like goofing and playing around, the next she wanted no part of acting like a kit. "How come?" Moon often asked her. "Because," Leaf would respond shifting her paws, "you don't see Mother acting like that!" Moon used to think Leaf had a good point, but then Stone would chime in. "Mother's a big cat. She can't do that anymore 'cause she's _really_ old." To which Rayah cuffed her son's ear.

"I'm not _that_ old," she growled playfully. Moon wondered if Leaf just wanted to copy Rayah. She supposed there wouldn't be a problem with that if Leaf was happy, so she didn't care. It didn't really have anything to do with her anyway. Moon was just going to enjoy being a kit.


End file.
